Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: First Earth
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Kwang!
With a deafening explosion, the golden grail hovering in midair shattered like glass.
The glittering fragments soon turned to ashen dust, scattering into the tomb of time.
At the same time, the intense magical waves of Park Chan-woo emanating from Lee Hyuk-soo began to subside bit by bit.
The evil spirits had already vanished without a trace.
"...It seems this is as far as my power can take me."
Chronos, seated on his jade throne, spoke with great difficulty.
His voice was far fainter than before.
As he said, his body was crumbling away just like the fragments of the grail.
"The grail... broke?"
"What happened?"
Adora asked.
It had clearly been the Demon-Sealing God's grail, yet it shattered so futilely.
-This is not the true grail.
Chronos continued with what little strength remained in his disintegrating form.
His hollow eye sockets turned toward Lee Hyuk-soo and the energy of Park Chan-woo emanating from him.
-The true grail of the Demon-Sealing God resides with Contractor Park Chan-woo. What I possessed was merely a 'shadow' I forged from my very existence, born of my longing for that grail's power. I needed it to gather Park Chan-woo's scattered fragments and establish a foundation for his being.
It was a shocking truth.
The grail that had unleashed such overwhelming power was no true relic—it was nothing more than a shadow crafted by Chronos himself.
He had consumed his own existence to create a false grail, all in an effort to resurrect Park Chan-woo.
-With my shadow... I could not fully contain the contractor. But... I found the path.
Chronos's gaze fell upon Lee Hyuk-soo once more.
More precisely, upon the 'foundation of existence' that Park Chan-woo had taken root within him.
-In the end, it leads to the path he sought. The stage that is the end of all things and the dawn of something new... the Racial War.
Chronos's voice had grown so faint it was barely audible.
More than half his body had already dissolved into ashen dust.
-There... Contractor Park Chan-woo will achieve true resurrection. For that is his 'dream.' My role... ends here. This is my 'third and final request.'
With those last words, Chronos's form vanished completely.
Only the massive jade throne he had occupied remained, standing empty as a testament to the eternal silence of the tomb of time.
The Shadow Reaper had sacrificed everything to create the 'possibility' of Park Chan-woo's resurrection and to illuminate the path ahead before fading away.
"......"
A heavy silence fell over the remaining group.
Chronos's sacrifice—though not quite a sacrifice—the truth of the false grail, and the now-clear next objective: the Racial War.
Too much had happened in an instant.
Lee Hyuk-soo examined his own condition.
Deep within his being, Park Chan-woo's foundation was firmly rooted.
He was no longer merely a 'key.' He had become the vessel for Park Chan-woo's very possibility of resurrection.
And to turn that possibility into reality, he had no choice but to participate in the Racial War.
The Racial War was said to be Park Chan-woo's dream.
Lee Hyuk-soo was the link to that dream.
"In the end... the Racial War."
Adora murmured softly.
Complex emotions swirled in her eyes.
"Then there's no reason to hesitate!"
Dagon forced his usual boisterous tone as he spoke.
"Our goal has always been to find him. Now that the path is set, we must press on!"
The others nodded one by one in agreement.
Lee Hyuk-soo gazed for a moment at the empty jade throne that had once held Chronos.
It seemed he had been waiting for them here.
He had never intended to sacrifice them from the start.
He had merely tested their resolve.
Whether they possessed unyielding, noble spirits.
Only then could they awaken Park Chan-woo from everyone, including Dragon God Sepiro.
"How?"
Now there was only one issue left.
The question slipped from Lee Hyuk-soo's lips unbidden.
The reason was simple.
"How do you plan to participate? If the Racial War is his desired 'dream' and goal, and he wishes me—a human—to carry on that will, then what about all of you?"
The charged atmosphere of determination faltered at Lee Hyuk-soo's sharp question.
He wasn't wrong.
The Racial War.
Its very name implied qualifications tied to specific races.
If it was Park Chan-woo's dream as a human, then it made sense for Lee Hyuk-soo, also human, to stand at the center.
But how could non-humans like Adora, Dagon, Aurum, Yoo Jin-seo, Bok-sil, and even the outer god Charpam join them?
Dagon hesitated, while expressions of distress crossed Aurum and Yoo Jin-seo's faces.
They too had realized the gravity of the problem.
"The rules of the Racial War are strict. The barriers of bloodline and race are absolute. Only humans can stand on the human stage. That's a fact."
Adora broke the silence.
She paused, surveying the group.
Then her eyes fixed on Lee Hyuk-soo again.
"But... it's not impossible."
Her eyes gleamed with profound meaning.
She glanced at her finger—the very one where Park Chan-woo had once granted her the authority of a 'creator' using the Black Witch's pinky.
"The Black Witch... her remains hold the power to grant or alter the 'qualifications' of existence. Park Chan-woo used her pinky finger to bestow creator status upon me."
"The Black Witch's... finger?"
Lee Hyuk-soo frowned at the distasteful name.
Adora nodded.
"Yes. The Black Witch was dismantled, and I possess her body—all except the 'head' and 'heart.'"
"...Pardon? You've had those this whole time, Lady Adora?"
Dagon asked in bewilderment, and Adora replied nonchalantly.
"I bought them from a top-grade auction."
"With the proceeds from selling those spirit stones?"
"Exactly."
"Well, I'll be."
Adora nodded calmly.
The massive fortune from selling the spirit stones obtained in Valhalla.
Coins she had thought might be snatched by Sepiro anyway—she had poured them all into acquiring the Black Witch's remains.
Lee Hyuk-soo said,
"...So we can compete with 'human' qualifications?"
"Probably. At least me, Aurum, and Yoo Jin-seo. Charpam, being an outer god, can't hide his nature, so we'd have to exclude him."
There were limits to falsified qualifications.
Especially in the Racial War, where countless monsters gathered.
If Charpam appeared there, anyone who recognized him as an outer god would turn it into a major incident.
Only ten could participate in the Racial War with human qualifications.
Adora, Aurum, Yoo Jin-seo, Han Shin, and Lee Hyuk-soo himself made five already.
"We just need to fill the remaining five. With the strongest possible."
Several candidates came to mind.
Overlord Im Chang-yeol.
A man of powerful leadership and skill. He might lend his strength willingly.
Adrianne, who had recently risen in the mercenary world and was being called the 'Mercenary Queen.'
And... his one and only disciple, Han Min-oh.
Young as he was, his countering ability was genius-level.
Even now, Lee Hyuk-soo wasn't confident he could block Han Min-oh's counters.
There would be other rising human powerhouses in this turbulent world. Finding and convincing them would be the next task.
"We need to leave one spot open."
Adora said.
"...Ah, right."
Park Chan-woo.
He might appear.
Honestly, no one knew how the 'resurrection' Chronos mentioned would unfold.
The only certainty was that it would happen during the Racial War.
They had to believe that.
In other words,
'Leave one spot open.'
They would compete as nine out of ten.
They needed to make people understand that.
That left four spots.
"Four spots......"
Dagon stroked his chin and said,
"What about Chiwoo and Mir?"
"They returned to the Mountain of Cultivators."
Adora replied.
After confronting the evil god Taebaek, Chiwoo had abruptly returned to the Mountain of Cultivators.
Han Mir had done the same.
Dagon crossed his arms and spoke.
"Then I'll find a way before the Racial War truly begins."
"Please do."
Lee Hyuk-soo replied curtly.
He knew Dagon's capabilities well, and his help was crucial now.
Honestly, it was impossible for humans alone to enter the Racial War without penalties.
No one knew how many races would participate or perish.
They could sink before even reaching the Twelve Races.
[Keep it with you.]
Whoosh!
As Charpam's voice echoed, the shattered fragments of the grail—Chronos's very remains—fell into the outer wall's interior.
They no longer gleamed with golden light.
They looked like ashen dust, but felt solid and cold to the touch.
Lee Hyuk-soo carefully gathered the debris in his hands.
He felt no special power from them.
But the fact they remained meant something lived on within.
Above all,
'...He's coming back.'
It felt as if the tangled threads and broken glass bottle were regenerating.
Chronos's voice spread through his mind.
[I'll open a warp to Earth. I cannot cross myself, but I'll stand ready whenever you need.]
"To Earth... right now?"
Lee Hyuk-soo asked for confirmation.
[Yes. A world we've already departed once. Its coordinates are clear. Opening the passage is simple.]
The space before his massive form parted smoothly.
Unlike the previous twisted, unstable rift.
A stable blue light swirled, forming a warp like the serene surface of a lake.
Beyond the portal, a familiar blue sky and cityscape faintly appeared.
'Seoul!'
It was Seoul.
Lee Hyuk-soo inhaled Earth's air deeply into his lungs.
The ground he trod once more after that brutal battle.
At his side stood Adora, Aurum, and Yoo Jin-seo.
'...How do I introduce them?'
The problem was still their identities.
Who would believe three unknown powerhouses suddenly appeared?
At least Yoo Jin-seo was manageable.
She was already famous as a saintess.
Truthfully, Adora was the biggest concern.
"Wh-what's this?"
"Why's it so cold?"
"It's summer!"
Passersby shivered as they walked past.
Due to the chilling aura of death emanating from Adora.
And that was not all.
"Look over there!"
"Whoa, celebrities?"
"But why are they dressed like that?"
They stood out too much.
Adora, Aurum in human form, and Yoo Jin-seo's appearances were extraordinary in themselves.
A beauty and eerie aura far from ordinary, captivating onlookers.
It wasn't surprising they were mistaken for celebrities.
"Isn't that Lee Hyuk-soo?"
"Yeah, it is! Mr. Lee Hyuk-soo!"
"Ov-over here!"
"Just one photo...!"
As bold citizens approached, Lee Hyuk-soo grew even more flustered.
"This place is too noisy."
Adora extended her hand.
Whiiir!
The approaching people froze like ice.